A Blessing and A Curse
by retrolily
Summary: This story is about Talia and Bane's time in the League, the journey that leads them to Gotham's front door and about a young girl who changes both of their lives forever. A blessing and a curse. "My dark side doesn't come from without, it comes from within. So don't dig too deep, for it knows no name."
1. A Blessing and A Curse

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bane, Talia, or any other character in the comics/Nolanverse.**

**(beginning is a bit cliche-ish, but don't be discouraged)**

**Graphics - on my tumblr**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - A Blessing and a Curse**

My feet dragged against the gravel as I walked underneath the warm sunset. I was tired. I wondered what would happen if I stopped walking. Would the man who I was being escorted by beat me with the stick he held in his hand? I shuddered thinking about it. I was heading up the path to an unknown place. It would become my new home. I was being brought to Tibet to live, though I have no idea why. I was scared and didn't know what to expect. This place was definitely not another orphanage. It was large and looked like a prison. Is that what they looked like here? The man leading me was Asian and looked to be in his late thirties. I don't know if he spoke a word of English. When he picked me up from the airport, all he held was a sign that said, _Sienna Rain Fischer. _I went with him, obviously. I hoped I wasn't being lead to a sweatshop or being sold for labour.

_No, that can't be it_, I thought. At least, I hoped not.

How fortunate for me that both my parents were gone now. My dad first, he was killed when I was 9, while we were still living in Germany. A robbery gone wrong... After that, my mom took me to live in America. Up until recently, I was living with my mom in Boston. We were happy. A few months ago she got into an accident on her way home from work one night...went over a bridge. I tried not to think about it too much. Though I often spent my time daydreaming of us all being together.

My mom, Celine, had warm chocolate skin, long curls and beautiful brown eyes. She was born in the Caribbean, but left while she was still young. She was the exact opposite of my father, Erik, who had ivory skin, light hair and icy blue eyes. He said it was the Swede in him. He was very tall, around 6'4... and also strict, but when he smiled, as only so few people could make him do, my mother being one of them, his whole face lit up. _Wie die sonne,_ My mom would call him. _Like the sun. _Then, he would laugh and say I was the rain because I use to cry all the time when I was a baby...something I have no recollection of. In fact my middle name was Rain, but my mother only named me that because I was born in April during a thunderstorm that almost flooded all of Munich.

I sighed. I guess in a way I looked more like my dad, than my mom. My hair was closer to his colour, more of a golden brown though. I got my waves from my mother. My eyes were closer to his as well, though mine were blue with gold specks, to his pure ice blue. My skin was a warm light brown. Right in-between them both. My parents met while my mom was working in Germany. She had just started teaching English there. She was 28. He was 27. They didn't date for too long before they got married. I was born in the next year.

I lost my train of thought when I realized how close I now was to the entrance. The light in the sky had finally gone away. I stopped. Just a few more metres to go. The man stood at the top of the steps waiting, as he had always been far ahead of me. My belongings stood waiting there too, for they had somehow made it here before me.

The man eyed me and I began walking. It 's not like I had a choice. I was 14. I had nowhere else to go...no choice but to live with this man...go to this place.

I had no other family. It wasn't my fault. It was how my parents chose to live.

I had no one else on my file.

It only read, _**FATHER - DECEASED. MOTHER - DECEASED.**_

Come to think of it, it was always just the three of us. In Germany, I never visited any grandparents, any aunts, uncles or even cousins, like the other kids had. My father was an only child who lost both his parents to cancer. One after the other.

My mom was an only child too, was raised by a single mother in Barbados, whom she barely mentioned when I was younger.

I didn't learn more about her until after my dad had died. She was gone as well.

So that meant straight to the orphanage for me. I hadn't even been there for more than 4 months before they informed me I was being "taken in". They didn't even call it an adoption. I don't even know if that was what it was, because for some reason, I was never introduced to him beforehand...before they told me to pack my things and threw me on a flight. I had seen enough TV shows and movies to know that wasn't how it worked.

I knew nothing of the man except his name, _Ducard_. It was probably his last name, though. I only knew his voice. I had heard it once when he came to visit the orphanage about three months back. **_I saw nothing, but the shadow of a man against the wall.  
_**"_I knew the father...I will be willing to take in the child_." I didn't know who he was. I hadn't heard of him before.

I was now being lead through dark, narrow hallway with lamps that lined it on each side. The man I was with, told me to wait outside. After a few moments, he came back.

"You may enter."

A man was standing with his back facing me and staring out the window into the night. Dark figures, moved swiftly as he watched on. I couldn't make them out. He was tall and was wearing a brown suit, a few shades darker than the walls. In the room stood a bookcase and a desk covered with a few stacks of paper, a pen holder and a telephone. There was a large filing cabinet in a corner by the window. It looked like an office.

He turned and I finally saw his face. "Good evening, Sienna." He smiled at me, and I felt a bit at ease hearing the familiar voice. Even if I didn't know the man.

He stepped away from the window and took a step forward with his hands behind his back. "Have a seat." He said, gesturing towards a chair in front of his desk. "How was your flight?"

"It was fine", I replied, as I slowly made a move to sit. I was waiting for the part where he would tell me what exactly I was doing here.

"Do you know who I am?"

I shook my head. "No, sir," as I looked up at him from my seat.

"My name is Henri Ducard. I am a mentor here."

Was that suppose to mean anything to me? I didn't say anything.

"And do you know what we do here?"

I shook my head.

"We are a secret society called The League of Shadows. We protect against the corruption and injustice in the world."

OK...I thought. Why on earth would a secret society want me? There was no way someone like me could be capable of being part of any _League_...especially one that required physical effort. I mean...I could sort of run fast, but that was about it.

"Why do you want _me_?"

"Your mother and father are both gone and you have no family-no place to call home. You can belong here. At this young age, you can be raised into a fine warrior like..." He stopped. "Like many other members here have been."

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what TO say. I just held on tightly to the arms of the chair. I was pretty sure me joining this thing, wasn't a suggestion.

"There's someone I would like you to meet."

I turned behind me.

A young woman with dark brown hair and soulful blue-grey eyes walked into the room. Her hair was tied neatly in a a bun and she wore a navy blue robe with tribal designs a that stopped by her hips, with grey pants underneath. She didn't look that much older than me - probably in her twenties. I assumed she was Ducard's daughter. She stood straight with her hands folded in front of her. She didn't smile, just watched me intently.

"This is Talia. A member of the League. Like you, she has also lost both her parents."

The woman, Talia, looked over at Ducard, with a slight gleam in her eyes. She then quickly turned back to me again, raising her chin. "That's right."

"Talia is going to mentor you while you are staying with us."

"Hello, Sienna." She smiled a small smile, that barely made it past her cheeks.

"Hi." I smiled. Not trying to show how truly excited I was. There was a woman here, so I had no need to worry. She would be take care of me.

She turned to Ducard and nodded.

Then, Talia opened the door and stuck her head out to say something to someone. A man swiftly came and stood in front of the door. Then, she turned to me. "Carlos will take your room. Your belongings will be waiting for you there."

I stood and slowly followed the man out of the room, but stopped beside the door. I could hear them speaking.

_"Why her?" Talia asked._

_"She reminds me of you. A flower with poison running through its veins."_

_"I'm not a flower. " She corrected. "Flowers can be crushed."_

_"Indeed you're not. " He agreed. "But we can never have too many members, especially those who are female. She could be useful one day."_

_What exactly did that mean_, I thought.

"Come along, girl." The man noticed I wasn't behind him and had his hand placed on my arm.

Embarrassed I was caught, I turned away from the door and followed him. Most of the escorts I had weren't one for talking, so of course the walk was silent. We were in a hallway with numerous other doors side by side. Each door had a number. Some of them had a symbol beside the number. A black X. That probably meant they had been occupied. Oddly, most of the rooms didn't have them. That was good. I wouldn't have to worry about bumping into too many people as I went about this place. He stopped outside a door at the end of the hall, waiting for me to catch up.

So, this was my room, I guess. "Thank you." I told him.

He nodded and walked away.

I opened it and went inside. It wasn't too small, but it sure was empty. There was only a medium-sized bed, a small dresser beside it and a closet.

This room way grey and the floor was brown. Everything around here was either gray or brown. The bedding was white and the pillow as well. A mirror hung on the wall. I could live with that. My stuff was there too. My suitcase and duffel bag. I just sat on my bed and laid back. A few moments later there was a knock at the door. I sat up.

"Coming," I called out, as I got up and opened the door.

It was Talia. She stood in the doorway and didn't come inside.

"I thought you might be hungry. So I brought you this." She handed me in a see-through plastic container with a chicken sandwich inside and a bottle of water.

"For tonight, you can eat here. We usually eat in the dining hall and you'll be expected to as well. To find the lavatory, you just turn right, go down the hall past the dorms, stop and it's another right."

I accepted them and smiled. "Thanks."

She nodded. "You should get some sleep. You'll need it."

Then, I looked down at the floor.

I wanted to ask her something. I wanted to know how old she was...how old she was when she first came here...if she was the only woman...if she liked it here...if I would like it here...

I opened my mouth, but she had already turned to walk away. I shut the door and sat there on the bed, with the plastic in my hand. I was really hungry. Although the sandwich looked boring and disturbingly healthy, I couldn't wait to eat it. I just really needed to use the bathroom first because the last time I used one was on the flight. I put the sandwich and the bottle down and stood up. I opened the door, and peered out . No one was out there and Talia said the bathroom was just down the hall.

_Down the hall to your right._

I turned and went down the hall, past the string of doors. When I reached the end I turned, and there it was. One male. One woman. After using the bathroom, I felt relieved. No one was around so I didn't feel too shy about checking out the place. I didn't go too far, they were mostly just other hallways. I would try more tomorrow.

On my way back, I must have took a wrong turn somewhere. I was heading for the room I thought was mine. The one at the far end...but the door was open. Confused...I stopped. There was a man crouching down in the room, with his back toward me. He had a nasty scar on his neck and some weird one on his back...something metal attached to the back of his head. I listened. A weird sound was coming from the room. Like air desperately forcing itself through small tubes...like a sick person in a hospital. He looked to be opening a vent, but stopped when he heard something. He turned to the side, noticing someone was watching him and that's when I saw the mask. It was covering most of his face, leaving only his eyes and the side of his head bare.

_The sound was coming from him._

I stumbled back towards the wall, almost tripping over my feet. _What was wrong with him? What was that thing he was wearing? _The man, knowing he was correct about being watched, slowly rose from the ground. He rose like an animal that had just been awoken from a nap. Seemingly small, but as it stood, you could really see just how large it truly was. He turned and was now facing me, a strange look on his face. He couldn't have seen my face for more than a few seconds, because before he could say anything, I took off running down the hall.

* * *

**A/N:** Something I just started working on. An all new fic with a new OC. This will be different than all the others. Plus, I've never written Talia before or a pre-movie fic. I know some people don't like Talia/Bane, so note that this isn't necessarily a romance fic.

**TBH** I don't really like stories with younger OCs (she's 14 RN), but I just couldn't pass on this idea. Plus she'll be in her early twenties by the end of it.

The first part of this chapter is kind of plain, but it gets better, I think.

**The story begins roughly around April 2003. Using The Dark Knight's release date as a starting point for the timeline.**

**The Dark Knight, 2008. So the end of Batman Begins takes place in the year 2007, meaning Ra's dies in 2007. The Dark Knight Rises is 8 years after the Dark Knight, so 2016. (the future - eek!)**

**Talia becomes Miranda Tate in 2011.**

I honestly want to know if this even sounds REMOTELY interesting. Also let me know if my OCs name sounds like a soft drink...when I Google it, I get rain coats/boots. :|

**Review.** I'm curious to know.

**EDITED: Added two extra parts after meeting Talia. They were originally going to be in CH2 but I wanted to give a little Bane tease. :P**


	2. New Life

**Chapter 2 - My New Life**

"Time to get up." I was thrown to the floor, as the blanket I was tangled in, was yanked from my body. Confused, I opened my eyes to see Talia standing above me. I looked to my right to the window of the small room to see that is was still dark out.

"What's going on?" I asked weakly, rubbing my eyes that were blurry and now tearing up. I tried to adjust to the light that was glaring in my face.

"It's time to start your training." She answered, simply.

"Now?"

She threw something towards me. "Yes. Change into this and meet me in the courtyard." I looked at the piece in my lap, quizzically - a thin grey long sleeve shirt and dark grey cargoes. "You have two minutes," was all she said, before stepping off.

I just laid there with my head on the ground. Is this what my life would be now? Waking up at the crack of dawn to train like some Olympian? I've always hated gym class - and to know that I would have to wake up at God know when to do God knows what. Sigh. _Train_ \- that can't be the only thing people do here. Ducard said something about fighting corruption and whatnot. I imagined government assassinations and covert missions. I groaned. I was too young to do any of that stuff anyway, so I guess training was what I was stuck with for now. I hope she wouldn't make me run laps. Never mind the fact that I was living in a foreign country where I didn't even speak the language - something told me that I wouldn't be going beyond these walls any time soon. Talia would be training me - and she was obviously someone who didn't mess around. I didn't want to get on her bad side. She was beautiful but she could also be very intimidating. Ducard had said she would be mentoring me. I assumed it would be mean that when I got older, I would be doing something similar to what she does now.

Why did they need someone like me - or Talia for that matter, when they had that huge man I saw last night? If anyone saw him in a dark alley at night, they would probably just run in the other direction. I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to mess with him. This woman, though she was young, was strict and no doubt didn't put up with any bull-crap. I dreaded to find out what I was in for when I got to the courtyard - wherever that was.

* * *

After I dressed, I stepped out into the hallway outside my door. I didn't know which way the courtyard was so I took my chances and chose to go left. It lead me to large room that surrounded by railings that overlooked an open practice floor.

I looked down at it from the railing. It was filled with men. A lot of men. They were dressed in all black, with their faces covered - only their eyes bare. They had black chest plates attached to them.

They were attacking each other with swords so fast that it was beyond me how none of them were cut. These men were fierce. What in the world was I doing here? I was just a kid.

I looked across from me, to the opposite railing. There were doors on the other side that could lead me to the courtyard where Talia was, but to reach them I had to step down the stairs and into the sea of warriors. That didn't look like a good idea unless I wanted to get a blade through my skull. I decided not to.

I turned around to head back. Instead ,I bumped into a black figure that towered over me. As he looked down on me, I saw that his eyes were a striking, steel-blue. He was dressed exactly like the men below. I glanced around and saw that some of the men had noticed me.

"I..." I began, as I instinctively backed away from him, which unfortunately lead me descending down onto the steps.

The cloth wrapped around his mouth fell, and revealed that he was smiling. "You lost young wolf?"

I looked behind me and stopped myself before I went anymore. Now a few more eyes turned to me.

Despite my fear, I didn't hesitate. I took off running back the way I had came - past the man in black. I could hear thunderous laughing behind me as I went. Me being here was a joke to them. Talia held the standard of what a female living here should be like, despite not yet seeing what she could do - I knew I was nothing like her.

I slowed down as I passed my door again. I should have just chosen to go right. I was now walking in the other direction. Hopefully, there would be no one over there.

I stopped in front of a room with large glass windows. The door was shut, but it didn't matter because you could see everything through the tall glass that surrounded the front of the room. There was someone in the room. He looked like he was training with another man. It was dim. The only light came from the ones that glared from outside in the hall, but even those barely affected the room. How could anyone practice somewhere so dark, I wondered.

The man was winning. He threw blow after blow - pummelling the other man, sending him to the ground. He fought like no one I had ever seen before. He fought like an animal. He stopped, lowering his fists, seeming satisfied in what he had done. That's when he noticed me. He looked in my direction and I froze up. It was the man from the night before. How come I hadn't noticed it before? I don't know how I missed the mask even though he was facing away from me. The black strap - as he stood, was much clearer now.

The man made a motion that looked like he was about to move towards the door - toward me. I backed away out of fear, and that's when I felt a hand on my wrist. My arm was yanked backward and twisted behind me, as I fell back on someone's chest. I let out a loud cry, as my eyes began to was the woman - Talia.

She grabbed me, and was forcefully pinning my arm back.

"When I said two minutes, I meant it." She released my arm. "Now go. This way." She shoved me forward and pointed straight ahead. I didn't even have time to react.

She stopped to look at the man inside the window. He also seemed to be looking at her. I watched on. _What was he thinking_, I wondered, but quickly began to walk away as Talia began to turn to follow me. I followed obediently behind her as walked. She walked with such ferocity in her step. I really had done it now. She was pissed. I struggled to keep up.

She turned and when she noticed I was slightly behind her, she looked annoyed. She slowed down her pace a bit.

"Sienna, I have some rules I want to go over with you."

I kept my mouth closed and listened.

"First - All the clothes you brought. The pretty colourful little dresses, tank tops - the jeans. I don't want to see them. Get rid of them. You won't need those here."

"Of course you are allowed to wear your own clothes if you chose - but only on your own time. The colours permitted are dark only: black, grey, navy, etc."

"In fact the next time you visit your quarters, you'll see you already have a set of our clothes laid out for you in your wardrobe."

She didn't even bother to check if I understood or had any questions. She continued speed-walking, and droned on the entire time. I listened quietly and nodded.

"I'm sure you realized by now you'll begin your training everyday at 5 AM, except on weekends when you have the days off. If you're up early enough, you can have breakfast before you train. If not - you'll have to wait till afterwards - like today."

She paused. "I am your mentor, but I won't be the only trainer you have throughout your _stay_ here - if that's what he's calling it," she mumbled to herself. She turned to me."Others members will be assigned to you and the member training you will rotate every two days. Since I'm in charge of you, I created a schedule for you with designated practice times. Other times you will have the option to go off on your own."

"Once you are a bit more advanced, you won't have a schedule or any trainers. Everything you choose to do or not do will be up to you."

"You aren't expected to practice every second of the day, but here most people devote almost all of their time towards their craft."

"We have assignments that members are chosen to go on, depending on their skills, and assets - but considering your level, I don't think you'll need to know much a bout that yet." She stopped speaking

"Just so you know, every so often there will be random _assembly - _if you will. It's where every single available member is called to gather in the practice room. Ra's or Henri may choose another member for you to fight against." _Who the hell was Raz?, I thought. Someone important I had yet to meet. Great._

_Anyway - they couldn't expect me to participate, right? So early on in my training. I would lose indefinitely._

"The date is chosen at random. So, it could be a day from now or 5 weeks from now. The last one we had was yesterday - right before you arrived actually. You cannot refuse or say you are unable. So be warned, there will be consequences if you do."

I nodded. _I prayed to God, that if I was ever chosen, that Talia would be the one I would have to go against. I wanted to believe she would be easier on me, but I doubted this was the case._

We finally reached the courtyard. We exited through a doorway that took us outside into the early morning sky. This courtyard was a type of balcony. Wide, spacious. The ground was made of stone.

There were railings overlooking the Tibetan mountains and a set of lamp posts on each corner.

There was a small fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Water trickled up and over from the centre of the fountain, making a circular mini waterfall. We were nearly at the end of April meaning it was still pretty chilly - winter not too long ago

"After today, I expect you to find the designated training area on your own and get there on is won't be tolerated."

I nodded, like I again like I always did.

"I was being extremely lenient back there." She was dead serious when she said it. Is that really what she called_ lenient_,when she almost broke my arm?

"Other members might not be so forgiving." She added.

I frowned.

There were two long silver swords on either side of the fountain. She walked over to her side of the fountain, picked up hers and returned to me. There was the other one lying in front of me.

"Pick it up."

I did as I was told.

"How long will be out here - if you don't mind me asking?" I added. I really didn't want to piss her off again.

"As long as I say."

"Are you training me to be a samurai like those men?"

"I hate that word," She said. "I like to think of us _not as_ samurai, but as warriors. Protectors." She corrected, proudly. "Now pick up the sword.  
You're older than I was when I started out. Which means you _should_ be able to pick it up much faster than I did."

The tone in which she said_ should_, sounded sort of like mocking. Like she didn't believe it herself and was just repeating what someone else, probably Ducard, had said. _**Should**_...but probably won't.

"How old were you when you came here?"

"I was a child of only ten."

"How old are you now?"

" Twenty-one"

Twenty-one? Only twenty-one? That was pretty much a college student. For some reason, I thought she'd be a little older. Not by much though.

"Cool," I replied.

Talia held her sword a certain way. I tried to mimic her stance as best I could. It must have been right, because she didn't correct me.

We were about to get started, but I had one more question for her...

"I was wondering - who was that m-?"

"No more questions." She cut me off. "Now we begin."

* * *

After my first lesson, I was exhausted. Talia had sent me off to my room so I could shower.

"Another thing I don't thing Mister Ducard remembered to mention." She called out. "...But when you find out what we really do here - and you will soon enough,"She paused. "Backing out is not an option - well, not for you that is."

If she was trying to scare me, it wouldn't work. I could put the pieces together. I saw other members...the swords...I saw that huge guy with the mask.

These people were killers. He was a killer. Talia was a killer and soon I would be too. Oddly, I was way more OK with that than I should have been.

So I decided to show her that she couldn't scare me so easily.

"I don't plan on it," I replied, smugly. If Talia didn't want to be a flower, then I wouldn't want to be one either.

She eyed me with a smile in her eyes that said, _Just you wait._

* * *

**A/N:**

Reviews/thoughts would be appreciated. :)


	3. The Lion's Den

**Chapter 3 - The Lion's Den**

Sienna

It was now lunchtime. After training with Talia, she allowed me to eat breakfast with her out in the courtyard. Nothing special. Oatmeal. Dried Fruit. Water. I had showered and was now standing in the large dining hall with my lunch tray in my hand. I looked at all the crowds of men in front of me. They were rowdy and loud.

They were all without their samurai gear and were in shirts and sweatpants. I could see all their faces clearly now. I did get a few fingers pointed at me, and some chuckles from a few people. Not too many. Some were eating, laughing, yelling. Some even spoke in a foreign language. Being here made me anxious. How could anyone stand to be in a room with so many people. You could barely hear yourself think. Plus, I had no idea where to sit. This wasn't like school where I could find an empty seat and hope someone would join me,or could hope someone would notice me and ask me to sit with them. These were all grown men and a handful of women, so I doubt they wanted me near them - and If I _did_ find an empty table, it would probably just attract more attention towards myself.

I scanned the room. Where was Talia? Maybe if she was here, I could eat with her. All I had to do was get my food. I had gone through this too many times since I was little. Being biracial in a dominantly white country, I was always being left out. Behind me, a group of men entered the hall. I followed behind them as they went into a line that was serving food.

My plate was filled grilled chicken and vegetables. I took a water bottle from the counter. That's when I spotted Talia sitting alone in a table in the back beside a window. I sighed and felt relieved.

I watched Talia take a sip of water. She spotted me as well. She looked at me, then averted her eyes towards her plate of food. She began eating as if she had no care in the world. A man walked past her. As he did, he must have said something that made her laugh. He walked off and then she continued on with her meal. A woman who was sitting beside Talia, a slightly older Japanese woman who looked about 30, got up and they kissed on the cheek. The woman placed her hand on Talia's shoulder, then the woman pointed at me, smiling. Talia nodded and laughed, but didn't look at me. She looked like she was telling the woman to hush.

I imagined the conversation went like this: _Is that the girl? She's cute. (bitchy laughter, some shhhhs) I'm going to go say hi. (more bitchy laughter from the woman, then Talia gave me her "dead eyes" stare)_ I didn't think she was at all shocked or embarrassed by what her friend was about to do. She seemed content. Talia watched as her friend made her way over to me. She was wearing cargoes and a black cami and her hips swayed as she slowly approached me. Her eyes were set to kill.

Talia watched her friend walk most of the way, then went back to her meal. She was not smiling anymore.

The woman then stopped beside me, rather than in front of me. "The League isn't a place for little girls," she whispered into my ear, as she walked past.

I stood there at the front of the line. Frozen. It was clear she didn't want me to join her. It was also clear that they were both in agreement on what the woman whispered to me. I slowly stepped out of the way, unsure of where to go next. I took a couple more steps before a man from behind me who was in a rush, ran bumping my shoulder. It jolted me and almost knocked me and my tray to the ground - but I felt a strong hand grip my elbow and pull me up.

Loud, throaty breathing filled my ears before I even had the chance to turn around - though I had a clear idea of who it was. I turned around to see that it was none other than the masked man.

I was apprehensive about looking him in the eye, but did so anyway. If he helped me, he couldn't be that bad of a guy.

"I - I'm sorry." I said, softly. It was all I could say. Sorry he had to go out of his way to help someone as pathetic as me. I could probably now add him to the list of people wondering what I was doing here. I didn't want him to feel that he had to watch out for me because of my age.

"You'll have to learn to navigate around here on your own. You won't get any special treatment here." His voice was loud and booming. Everyone in the room would have been able to hear him, if they weren't already so loud. I was glad for that.

He gestured towards Talia. "Especially from her."

I turned around and followed his gaze. Talia met both our eyes. But she seemed to be looking more at him, then she turned away. I looked back and forth, between the two. I couldn't read their faces. There was a history between these two that I couldn't even begin to imagine. They had given each other a similar look back at the practice room.

I turned back to him. "I know. I'll watch where I'm going next time."

He nodded, then asked, "You wanted to sit with her?"

"No, not really." I lied.

He looked at me like he didn't believe me. For a few seconds, he did not say anything. Then, he spoke.

"Have a nice afternoon, then." It sounded more like a question though - but I definitely wasn't going to ask to join him. Talia would probably chop of my head.

I just stared at him. I wanted to know who he was before during practice, but Talia cut me off before I had the chance to ask her. So I guess now was my chance -  
but he turned around and was gone.

Talia eyes were now boring into me, like I had killed her firstborn. It couldn't have been for more than a seconds so I wondered if I had imagined the entire thing.

"You can sit with me if you want."

I brought my focus away from Talia, and to the man in front of me. I glanced up to see the other man from this morning. The blue-eyed one who called me "young wolf" I now noticed he wasn't as old as I had previously thought, but that he was about the same age as Talia.

He smiled. "Hello, anyone in there?"

"Sorry." I smiled. "- thanks."

"What's your name, kid?"

"Sienna."

"I'm Barsad", he told me. "Alright, follow me."

I glanced behind at Talia. She wasn't watching me anymore.

He took me to a table on the other side of the room, away from Talia. Though from where I was sitting, she was still in my line of sight, while Barsad's back was to her. The masked man was probably long gone by now. Talia still wasn't looking at me. She had picked up her pace, and was now scooping up spoonfuls of food quicker than before. I watched her eat. She was getting ready to go somewhere.

"How's Talia been treating you?"

"Fine," I said, while my eyes were still planted on Talia.

"She hasn't been busting your balls? "

"No," I replied, softly still not meeting Barsad's gaze.

"Then why do you keep staring at her, Sienna?"

"Huh?" I asked,though I knew exactly what he had said. I stopped watching Talia and finally met Barsad's eyes, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm just pulling your leg." He shook his head as he scooped up some food off his plate. "She's one of the best females here you know. It's understandable if you want to stare."

"So I've been told - but I don't want to talk about her really." I told him, as I began eating as well.

"Why not?" He questioned.

I shrugged. "She's kind of -"

"A bitch."

"No - I wasn't going to say that, I mean - Cold. I meant to say cold."

"It's OK. They're kind of the same thing, aren't they."

"No, not really." I blushed.

"They are." He said. "Hey, I saw you take almost took a dive back there."

"You did?"

He nodded slowly and was now grinning at me like he knew a secret.

"What?"

"Nothing." he replied, but he chuckled to himself. Then he answered. "Are you scared of him?"

"What, no?"

"But you knew who I was talking about, right?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked him, blushing slightly.

"It's OK. They all are."

"But not you of course?"

"Nope."

"So you know him?"

"Yes, I do and you shouldn't get too interested in him. He's been here for a while, as long as Talia, but you probably wont see him around too much. He keeps to himself and they let him do his own thing. Much like Talia."

"Uh, Barsad - Does everyone get special privilege here after initiation?"

"Initiation. What do you know about that?" He asked, with a smirk.

"Nothing really. I just heard some things." I looked up at him. "Have you been initiated?"

"Yes, but I've also been apart of one." he said, wondering what I was getting at. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." At that exact moment, I watched Talia get up, empty her tray in the trash and exit through the cafeteria doors.

"You want to know what its like?" I turned back to Barsad.

"Yeah." I told him.

"Well, it's different for certain people. Talia's only a year older than me, she has different skills than me, but she's a member. Her initiation would have been different than mine because her fears are different than mine. Her strengths and weaknesses are different than mine. Everyone has a certain role they play in the League so the tests aren't exactly equal. Lucky for you. If you pass, you become a member. You're not required to stay here anymore if you choose not to."

"What about you?"

"Let's just say I just stopped by for a visit as requested by Mr. Ducard."

"So you must be pretty good then?"

"Not exactly in strength, but in other ways. I'm pretty great with a sniper."

"Also - who is Ross?"

"You mean Ra's?"

"Uh, yeah - my bad. Talia mentioned him, but I don't know who he is. I've never seen him before."

"Ra's al Ghul." he proclaimed, loudly. Then, he chuckled to himself, like it was some inside joke. "He's the one in charge here."

"Oh - and Henri's not."

"He is too, but Ra's is the one who started it all and he is more of a silent leader. Seen and never heard. Only on special occasions does he make an appearance. For special people" he added.

"OK - What do I need to know about the assembly?"

"Zasedaniye Klinka." He told me.

"Meeting of the Blade?" I asked him.

"Yeah that's right." he said, sounding impressed. "You know Russian?"

"Yeah, and German and Swedish. Don't ask."

"Multilingual, that's good. A lot like someone I know."

"Is there a certain reason that you could get picked to fight? I don't want to draw any attention to myself. Glance at the wrong person or something."

"Ah - OK. Maybe if someone had a good round at practice or maybe if some guy thinks he's a hot-shot and they need to knock him down a few pegs." He paused. "Or if you're new..." he peered up at me.

"Or - " I added, hopefully. "Maybe it'll be that guy. The one with the mask."

"Bane," he told me. "His name is Bane."

"Oh - OK, sorry. Bane."

Barsad shook his head. "Anyway, it wont be him. Ducard doesn't like him too much."

"Why? I thought he was good."

"He is, but Ducard won't choose him because he knows Bane will win. Where's the competition in that?" I nodded, but realized he didn't really answer my question about why Ducard didn't like him.

"He'll choose people who are less advanced. People who need to prove themselves. Maybe even you, like I said." He paused. "Do you know hand-to-hand?"

"No." I scoffed.

"Well we'll have to change that. After one more day with Talia - next, you'll be with me."

* * *

Talia

Talia exited through the doors and into the hallway. She ran to catch up to him, knowing that he would be walking, taking his time.

"Bane." She said his name in a such a gentle voice, that stopped him right in his tracks. "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course." He turned around slowly and met the young girl's eyes. He looked at Talia and she knew what he was going to say - but she still smiled anyway. She couldn't help it.

"The girl's only been here for a day, Talia. Do you think you could go a bit easier on her?"

Her smile faded. "Are you talking about this morning? She kept me waiting and I don't like to be kept waiting - but I understand what you're saying.

"Do you?" he asked, teasingly.

"Yes." She smiled slightly. "You have your methods and I have mine. I just don't do well with defiance."

"You also have a temper."

"And you don't?" She asked him.

"I'm a lot better at control than you are."

"Indeed you are. I guess it's something I need to work on then. Maybe you could help me."

Bane did not reply.

"So, where are you headed?" Talia asked him, in a quite a cheerful tone. A lot different from her usual one.

"Back to the practice room."

"You've eaten already?" He nodded.

"May I join you?" Bane stepped off to the side to make a space for her. They walked in silence toward the staircase.

"My father wants me to mentor her as well as train her."

"That's good. I'm sure she could use your help."

"Really? You think I could make a difference in a such a -?" Talia didn't finish her thought. "I can't help that I've always had a distaste for people born of privilege. They think they know everything of the world and how it works - but they know nothing."

"I agree with you - but you could have at least ate lunch with the poor girl."

"Anyway, she doesn't need me. She has your protegé, Barsad to keep her company."

"Barsad?" Bane asked, surprised.

"Yes, Barsad." she laughed. "He is the most friendly of us all, isn't he?"

"It seems so." He agreed.

After another long silence, Talia finally spoke again. "What did you say to her?"

"The girl?"

"Yes. What did you say to her?"

"I told her not to expect any special treatment from you." Bane answered.

"As expected...Is that all you said to her?"

"Yes."

* * *

Sienna

After finishing our meals, Barsad and I both brought our trays towards the garbage. We emptied them and placed them on top of the bin.

"There was something I wanted to ask. It's about what someone told me - A woman."

Barsad turned to me. "What did she say to you?"

I sighed. "She told me that the League isn't a place for little girls."

"So what? It isn't."

I frowned.

"Hey, it's no big deal." He shrugged. "I mean, that's why you have to show them you're not just some little girl."

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about Bane's voice because there are so few ways to describe it - And if you don't already know what Bane sounds like, why are you reading this story? lol

I hope any mistakes I have aren't that big.

Every review is appreciated.

:)


	4. Simple Warning

**Chapter 4 - Simple Warning**

UNEDITED

After lunch with Barsad, I slept most of the day. I was called out of bed for a 6 PM lesson by Talia. There was no fighting or swords involved, just a good old-fashioned sit down in one of the rooms in the basement.

She just talked about the League. Even gave me a history lesson on past operations that she made clear I wouldn't be a part of anytime soon. Tokyo. Berlin. Johannesburg. She didn't talk about how she flipped me off at lunch and she also didn't mention Bane, no matter how much I pressed her.

"Why do you care so much about him?" She asked me after I had brought him up casually for the billionth time.

"I don't know. I'm just curious," I told her.

"No, that's not it." She paused. I noticed that she took her hair down at night. It made her face look softer, but not by much especially since she spent most of the night side eyeing me. "Well don't be," she continued, "and stop asking me about him. Anything you want to know you can ask him yourself - if you're brave enough." She said with a smirk.

I think those were her least favourite part. She looked like she preferred a weapon in her hand over sitting down and chatting with me. Talia walked me back to my room in silence and I went to bed feeling at a loss. How could I prove that I wasn't just some little girl when I was so horribly pathetic? I knew that the process would have to be slow and gradual. I didn't know how I would prove it to Talia and Henri and Barsad and Bane and to everyone else who doubted me, but I knew I wasn't about to give up anytime soon.

* * *

_I can hear my fathers voice every time my head bobs in and out of the water. "Just like I showed you, Sienna."_

_My little feet begin searching for the bottom of the pool and when I can't find it, I panic. I begin to furiously kick my feet and flail my arms like a dying animal. One second my head would be beneath the water, and the next second it isn't._

_I remember the expression on his face. His dark blond eyebrows furrowing out of confusion...or annoyance. I remember staring up at him with his arms crossed and wondering, why isn't he coming to get me?_

_It doesn't matter because I am already going under. My head doesn't bob up the next time._

_Water begins filling my nostrils where it isn't supposed to be. It burns as it goes inside, causing my mouth to fly open and be filled with even more water. I try to grab on to something, anything, but I only feel water - and water cannot help you up. It just slips through your fingers._

_Then, I feel my father's hands around my waist, pulling me up from underneath. Finally breathing in air, I begin coughing violently._

_"It's OK Sienna, I'm right here." He is holding me in his arms above the water and I reach for his hands to make sure he is actually there._

_"Do you want to try again?", he asks, while still holding on to me._

_I look up at him, tears falling down my cheeks. "No," I shake my head._

_"Are you sure, you almost had it this time." He pats my golden curls that are now flat and stuck to my neck._

_I shake my head again._

_"Use your words, Sienna."_

_"I'm sure." I tell him._

_"Alright," he sighs, sounding almost disappointed._

_"Is that OK?" I asked._

_"Of course it's OK. Let's go back inside." He outstretches his hand, waiting for me to take it._

_I reach for his hand and he brings me to the edge of the pool. He steps out of the water first and I trail behind him. He picks me up, and wraps a large blue towel around me. Then he puts me over his shoulder and carries me inside. "Sienna, you don't have to - "_

His voice was cut off. I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

* * *

This time, when Talia got to Sienna's room, the bed was empty. She frowned. She stood there a moment, before quickly turning on her heels, and swiftly heading down the hallway toward the bathroom.

She walked inside and stopped. It was empty too. She decided it was best to drop by Ra's to tell him how his new guest had disappeared.

Ra's al Ghul. _Her father_. She had to be careful not to call him Ra's or father around certain people, but Henri, which she hated. She didn't see the point of it really, keeping his identity a secret to people who weren't initiated. Well maybe she did. It was to keep his name a secret to the people who weren't in it for the long haul - who would leave as soon as things got too scary, but it was a lot to keep track of, who had been initiated, who hadn't been. So sometimes she just didn't call him anything in front of people. Just Sir.

On her way down the hall, Talia bumped into Bane.

Whenever they ran into each other, it was like they were two having secret meetings. Their strong, but hushed voices. Their demeanour. The professional manner in which they stood. The way they mirrored each other, both Talia and Bane strolling with their arms behind her back, but then Talia had always been very professional, ever since she was a girl. Anyone within ear distance had to take notice.

"Off to find your protege?" He asked her casually.

"My protege seems to have gone missing," she said. "If you can call her that."

"I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Where are you suppose to meet her?" He asked.

"The courtyard."

"Did you check there?"

"That girl waking early - I doubt it," she said before taking off again. "I'll see you soon", she called out before turning a corner and Bane was out of sight.

Talia walked into the courtyard to find Sienna already outside sitting on the floor waiting. She paused before Sienna looked up and noticed her.

"Let's begin," she finally said.

**Sienna's POV**

Talia must have been shocked that I was here before she was, or at least I hoped she was - but she didn't say anything. She didn't even look it. Her mouth was a hard line as she got right into instructing me. She just continued with the training as usual.

After a period of two hours, including zero breaks, we finally stopped.

"You have an hour left, but you can leave early if you want. Eat or go back to bed. I wouldn't mind." Talia told me.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked me in a tone softer and calmer than I had ever heard her before.

Anyone else would have thought she was just being nice, but I saw right through her. I felt like she was doing this on purpose, She wanted me to give up - to prove her right. To prove to her that I was weak. I wasn't dumb. I knew I wasn't going to become some master fighter in one day or even a great one. I would start small. I would show up early, leave late and follow all of her instructions without questioning anything. Even if that meant never taking the easy route or never finishing on time.

"No, I think I'll stay." I told her. I had given up way too many times in life, and today wasn't about to be another one of those times.

"OK", she said without question. "Then I want you to run fifteen laps around the yard, then meet me back here.

"Sure, I can do that." I replied. It had me wondering if I was screwed either way. If I had decided to leave early, it would prove her right. If I decided to fight back and try to prove myself, she would make it hurt.

After the running the laps, Talia was sitting on one of the benches waiting for me.

If she expected me to have a frown on my face, then I would do the opposite. I didn't glare daggers into her head, but I also wasn't grinning at Talia either. I got the feeling Talia liked working me to the bone. Tough love or something like that. It would make me stronger.

"You OK?" She asked.

"Just fine." I lied. I was out of breath and my muscles were sore.

"Good." She stood up.

"How do you feel about guns?" She asked me. "Ever held one back in America?" She asked with a condescending smile on her face.

"No, but I've always wanted to use one."

"Well, you're in luck. Your new best friend will be showing you how to use one tomorrow."

* * *

_**The next morning.**_

I woke up at dawn feeling very tired, as usual. So far I have had two days of training with Talia and for one of them, I spent most of the day running. Now it was Barsad's turn to have a go at me. I groaned.

"Good morning sunshine." He called out, as he came into my room. "How was your night?

I didn't even care that he didn't even bother to knock - that's how tired I was.

"It was fine, thanks. My legs are a little sore, but other than that - good. So what are we doing today?" I asked.

"Have you eaten yet today?"

"Yeah, like an hour ago. Then I went back to bed."

"Well, I haven't, so come with me.

"Talia said I could either get up before six to eat or wait three hours till we're done.

"Talia and her rules...Do you really think I can wait three hours, yet alone wake up a six AM? Also, I'm not Talia, so get up."

When we got to the cafeteria, I walked beside Barsad as he picked up a tray and was served food. I picked up an apple only. I still felt odd eating so early. Outside was still dark. I could barely get my oatmeal down this morning.

"So, let's chat," he grinned at me.

"I don't wanna chat." I said grimly.

"You sure about that?"

"Well, does it have to be now?" I questioned.

"Fine. I guess you don't want to know who your next trainer will be." he replied with a coy smile. I just shrugged.

"I think I can hold off on knowing for at least another day.

"If you say so.."

"So, Talia told me I get to shoot a gun today."

"That is true." he paused. "Are you sure you don't want to know?"

"Fine. Tell me." I sighed. "I doubt I know the person, but tell me anyway. Unless it's -"

* * *

**_Earlier that Morning_**

Talia walked hastily down the corridor. She knocked on her father's door strongly. Three rapid knocks in succession. No one dared to knock with such force, except Talia, so he could always tell when it was her.

"Come in Talia," he said.

When Talia entered, Ra's was fumbling with a stack of papers, but he didn't look up as he addressed her. "How is Sienna's training coming along?" he asked while looking through some papers.

"It's going," she said. "But it's still too soon to see any improvement."

"And do you think there will be?" He looked up at her this time.

"Of course. You chose her so there has to be."

"Ah, so you trust my judgment then?" He asked, more like he was talking to an associate than his young daughter. Ra's watched Talia to see her reaction.

"I-" she began.

Ra's grinned at his daughter squirming, trying her best not to offend him. He chuckled. "It's alright, I know you're bit confused. She's still young an inexperienced, but you must trust me."

"I do." It was silent for a moment, then Talia spoke again. "I have an idea. I think you should let Bane train her - see how she manages."

"And why is that?" He questioned angrily.

"I know you don't care for him, but he is one of our most valued members. Maybe he can teach her a thing or two."

"I agree he is." Ra's paused. "Alright I will, but only because you asked me."  
Talia smiled triumphantly.

"Thank you," she said. Ra's nodded and went back to his work.

Talia was hoping Bane would scare Sienna and put her in her place. She wanted Sienna to know what a real fighter looked like. She wanted Sienna to realize that being a member of the league wasn't a game.

"Yes, Talia." He asked her, seemingly without glancing up. I know that look on your face. There is something on your mind, what is it?"

"I guess I'm just still waiting to see just how useful she could possibly be."

Ra's al Ghul smiled. "Trust me. She will be useful."

* * *

**Sienna's POV**

"Bane?! - but, why?" I asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean why?" He asked, laughing. "You knew you'd be switching trainers every few days."

I shook my head. "Yeah, but I didn't think he would - " I didn't know whether to be frightened or flattered. "And how do you know that?" I asked him.

"He told me right before I saw you this morning." He paused. "It's basically whoever signs up." Barsad told me. "I guess he signed up." Barsad, with slight doubt in his voice.

"Oh." I paused. I was surprised that he would want to volunteer his spare time to be around me. "Well who else signed up?" I asked, curiously.

"Uh - no one." Barsad began. "They're probably just too scared to try - Or don't want to bother training some kid." He quickly changed the subject. "Yeah - so after Bane, I'll guess you'll be thrown back to Talia again."

"That makes me feel so much better. To know I'm being passed around like the last stale piece of bread no one wants."

"Hey, it's not like that."

"Yes, it is. Talia was probably forced to train me and I have no idea why Bane would decide to." I paused. "But what about you? Why did you volunteer, huh?"

"No one else wanted to and I thought it would be fun."

"Wow, you didn't even try to sugarcoat that one. So pity, then?"

"A bit," he admitted.

"But I guess I should be saying thanks then." I said, solemnly. "It's better than having Talia everyday."

"Don't mention it, OK. Let's get to training so I can see what you can do."

* * *

"Do you like our little make-shift shooting range? Me and some of the guys set it up."

We were by the edge of the forest, quite away from the base. It was quiet and no one was out here except for us. The sun had risen so I was a little warm from the walk over here. In a few hours it would be hotter than this.

There was a row of cans and bottles lined on top of some tree stumps. I don't know why they decided to make one out here when there was probably some high-tech shooting range inside

"Your target is the can in the middle."

He took out a gun from the messenger bag he was carrying, looked at it once then threw it into the grass.

I flinched.

"Pick it up and make sure not to shoot me or anything while you do it. I don't believe in safety."

"I don't see why you couldn't just hand it to me," I mumbled under my breath, but he heard me anyway. I walked over to the gun he threw in front of me and picked it up like it was infected. Then I placed my hand on the grip.

"That's not the way I learned. Trial and error is the best way to go around here. Less talking for me. Don't put your finger near the trigger, Not yet. Just hold like you are about to. On the trigger guard, please."

"How did you learn?" I asked him raising my hand toward my target.

"By stealing a pistol from my dad when I was eleven and putting five bullets in his head , now come on, pay attention."

I glanced at him to see if he was joking, but I couldn't tell. I turned back towards the forest with gun raised.

"Steady it with the other hand." He called out.

I put both hands on the grip of the gun which felt a lot better. My hands felt stronger.

"Like this?"

Barsad walked over to me and stood in front of me. I maneuvered the gun out of his way as he did, and rested both arms over his shoulder, the gun just inches behind his head, trying to focus on the target

I didn't look at his face, but I wondered if he was trying to distract me.

"Feet apart, "was all he said.

He put one hand on my waist to steady me and kicked his right foot between my feet to separate them, almost knocking me over.

He finally stepped back and moved out of the way toward my left. He sat down in a patch of grass to watch me.

"If you manage to shoot it at least once, you pass." He told me.

"The one in the middle, right?" I asked, without turning my head.

"Uh huh."

I remembered that in movies you can fly back or drop your gun if your arms and feet aren't steady enough. I held onto the grip as tight as I could, then fired. BAM!

I stumbled a bit backward as I did.

"You hit nothing, good job."

I ignored him and tried it again. Bam!

"I believe that was the stump."

I was probably around a good 10 metres away from the can. There was no way I would hit it. Not yet. I took a step closer. Then another.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He asked me, leaning forward on the balls of his feet.

"You never said anything about where I had to stand, did you?" I turned to him.

I kept moving until I was only a metre and a half away and fired.

"There, I shot it."

"That doesn't count. How are you going to learn by taking the easy route?"

"Like this? I start close , figure out where to aim, then take a step back and fire. Each time I hit it, I take another step back. I keep doing that until I get perfect aim from all the way back there."

I pointed to a random spot a few good metres away.

"Hopefully by then I'll get a bigger gun." I told him.

* * *

When we had finished practising, Barsad decided to walk me back to my room.

"I have a question to ask about Talia. I've been thinking about Bane being your new trainer which honestly doesn't make any sense - and then I recently came to the conclusion that maybe you did something to piss Talia off."

"What? I pissed her off? Did she say something?"

"No - but who else would volunteer Bane? No offence, but I don't think he volunteered himself. Bane doesn't volunteer for anything. He keeps to himself, I should know - which means Talia must have asked him - must be for some kind of punishment. She wants to teach you lesson."

"Well I did question her about Bane a lot, but I didn't do anything to her specifically. I showed up today, on time. Extra early even. I was there before she was."

Barsad rolled his eyes and groaned. "Great - you made it too obvious."

"Made what too obvious?"

"She knows you're trying to prove yourself.

"Isn't that a good thing? I'm doing what you said."

"No - not to Talia." He sighed. "She'll think you're trying to show her up. She won't like it if you get too cocky. Especially if you don't have the balls to back it up. She already looks down on you because you're are not like her."

"Not like her? What does that mean? Is she special or something?" I scoffed.

"Listen," Barsad slammed his palm on the wall beside me blocking my path. Almost knocking the wind out of me. Unconsciously, I continued to take a few steps forward which only landed my face pressed up against his bare arm.

"There are things you don't know about her," he paused. "but obviously I won't be the one to tell you because it isn't my place. Just promise me you'll watch what you say around her. She had a rough life when she was a kid.

"Um," was all I could say considering his arm was practically covering my face.

"Sorry," he removed his hand so we could continue on our journey.

"That's all I'll say," he continued. "So heed my warning."

"Heed your warning? I smiled.

"Yes," he chuckled. "and I'm only going to tell you this once."

"Alright - consider your warning heeded then. Beware of Talia."

We had finally reached the outside my door when he stopped me.

"Before you go, there's something I want to tell you."

"Yea?"

"Keep a low-profile tomorrow. Don't stare at anyone and watch where you walk as well. We don't need a repeat of yesterday."

"Why? Because of Talia?" I asked, annoyed.

"No ." He laughed. "Not because of Talia. I wish, but not this time."

* * *

**A/N:**

Hope you like it.

I will be jumping ahead soon btw just to move the story along. (around a few months) Sienna will be more advanced and all that. She will be closer to Bane, Talia, and Barsad.


End file.
